Bucket list of half marathons

So the hubby and I were talking about making a bucket list of half marathons. There are so many good races out there that I don't want to repeat any for a long time. So far I have done Surf City in Huntington Beach Ca and Mountains to Beach in Ojai CA. I am hoping to get an entry to the Nike Women's half in San Francisco.

Rock N Roll marathon series - Las Vegas! It is an evening race held every November and supposedly is spectacular!

I suggest you check the comments on their FB page assuming they left them there. I don't remember if it was in 2011 or 2012, but the race was apparently a disaster judging by the negative comments. Note I have a strong bias against all RnR races because of the way they took over the PDR (Philadlephia Distance Run) which at one time may have been the best HM in the country.

The Indy Mini is a big one and very popular but can't say as I've run it myself.

I think if I wanted to come up with a bucket list of halfs I would look for halfs that were the main event. The such and such half, not the such and such marathon where they also have a half event. Except in the case of where the half is an integral part such as doing the Goofey challenge at Disney where you do the half and the full.

George, what changes were made or how did the race "evolve" after R-n-R took over the PDR? I imagine registartion numbers went up but wasn't it a mid-size race before the change?

The biggest change was a huge jump in the entry fee from $35 to about $50. They also dropped the associated 5K which drew an additional 500-800 runners. The HM already drew 8-10K runners. Then they began a series of course changes, none of which improved the course and didn't make sense from the runners' perspective. More annoyingly they were unresponsive to inquires about the race and in particular what happened to the 5K. A lot of the changes made transportation and parking much more inconvenient. One of the more questionable course changes made the finish uphill rather than approaching mile 12 and removed the final flat mile which was a straight run from the Art Museum (picture Rocky on the stairs) to Center City on a tree and flag lined parkway.

Some great lists! The big sur half is really a Monterrey Bay run but the course looks awesome. I had forgotten about Vegas. The only thing that really draws me to that one is the start time. I do all my training runs in the afternoon/evening due to a super early work schedule so getting up early to race throws me. I still haven't figured out how to fuel for an early morning run.